Carrying a tune to better health

Tremble Clefs members warm up before a rehearsal at the Florence Sylvester Senior Center in Laguna Hills. The Tremble Clefs is a national singing group for people with Parkinson's disease.CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Several years ago, 79-year-old Bob Curtis began to notice slight changes in his health, changes he thought were only effects of older age. Sometimes those changes were as minor as bread getting caught in his throat during a meal. But after visiting a doctor, the Newport Shores resident discovered that it was much more.

When the former Los Angeles firefighter found out he had Parkinson's disease, he was determined not to let the condition get the better of him. He began reading two books by Michael J. Fox, one of the more notable celebrities with the disease who is also known for his activism. They left him even more inspired.

Curtis soon found a fun way to treat his Parkinson's symptoms. He discovered the Tremble Clefs, a group designed to use singing as therapy for people with the disease.

"When you sing, you use your breathing apparatus more efficiently and you use your vocal apparatus more efficiently," said Karen Skipper, a neurological music therapist who serves as music director of the group. "All the exercises we do are geared specifically toward people with Parkinson's."

Funded by the National Parkinson's Foundation, the group has 15 chapters nationwide and meets each Monday at the Florence Sylvester Senior Center in Laguna Hills. There are members from all over the county, and they perform at senior centers, churches and community organizations.

Along with singing and therapy, Skipper says that when the group goes out into the community and showcases their talents, it's also about education.

"When most people think of Parkinson's disease, they think of someone shaking and drooling," Skipper said. "We want people to be aware that's not what people with Parkinson's do."

Curtis, who has been a member for three years, explained that he had never really sung before joining the Tremble Clefs, "other than in the shower or in the car," he added with a laugh. But he said he's grown to love it and also to hear the voices of others in the group, especially during solos.

"Sometimes these little old ladies who are very quiet will do a solo and it's just amazing," he said. "You give them a microphone and they have the most beautiful voices."

The average session sees about 50 to 60 members, whose hands, legs and feet can sometimes be seen trembling as they sing. But the mood among the members is positive and encouraging.

Each meeting begins with vocal exercises that include singing of vowels and yawning stretches, all of which are designed, Skipper said, to train the brain to use the muscles in the throat that may have been affected by Parkinson's. The exercises also help the members to swallow, another difficulty faced by those with the disease.

"It's great therapy for your voice," said Mike McNamara, 71, of Newport Beach. "But it's also great social therapy as well."

McNamara, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's three years ago, said he had never sung like this before joining the group and had some reservations about it. But the group welcomed him in with open arms, he said. Now he looks forward to the sessions each week, which seem to grow in number each time.

Along with learning to be comfortable while singing, many of the members are learning to enjoy themselves more and more rather than letting Parkinson's dictate the way they live their lives.

"There are two types of people with this disease," Curtis said. "One is a person who just decides to sit in a chair and give up. They take their medicine and that's it. Other people, this disease can energize them. For me, I say that if you ever feel sorry for yourself because you have Parkinson's, just go into a cancer ward for children and you'll come out with a different attitude."

Tremble Clefs members warm up before a rehearsal at the Florence Sylvester Senior Center in Laguna Hills. The Tremble Clefs is a national singing group for people with Parkinson's disease. CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Newport Beach resident Mike Mcnamara, left, listens during a rehearsal with the Tremble Clefs at the Florence Sylvester Senior Center in Laguna Hills. The Tremble Clefs is a national singing group for people with Parkinson's disease.CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Neurologic Music Therapist Karen Skipper leads the Tremble Clefs in a rehearsal at the Florence Sylvester Senior Center in Laguna Hills. The Tremble Clefs is a national singing group for people with Parkinson's disease. CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Tremble Clefs member Bob Curtis of Newport Beach warms up before a rehearsal at the Florence Sylvester Senior Center in Laguna Hills. The Tremble Clefs are a national singing group for people with Parkinson's disease.CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Newport Beach resident Bob Curtis rehearses with other members of the Tremble Clefs at the Florence Sylvester Senior Center in Laguna Hills. The Tremble Clefs are a national singing group for people with Parkinson's disease. CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Newport Beach residents Mike McNamara and Bob Curtis, from left, rehearse with other members of the Tremble Clefs at the Florence Sylvester Senior Center in Laguna Hills. The Tremble Clefs are a national singing group for people with Parkinson's disease.CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Alan and Jacqueline Massing do a quick dance at the end of a Tremble Clefs rehearsal at the Florence Sylvester Senior Center in Laguna Hills. The Tremble Clefs is a national singing group for people with Parkinson's disease. CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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